


There is no i in team....

by Justcallmebaby (Sherlokid42)



Category: Guns N' Roses
Genre: Axl is a douche canoe, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, Polyamory, Teamwork makes the dream work, band dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22154530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sherlokid42/pseuds/Justcallmebaby
Summary: Axl's a douch, Steven is soft, love confession, and band dynamics.
Relationships: Steven Adler/Duff McKagan/Slash | Saul Hudson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	There is no i in team....

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SailorLestrade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorLestrade/gifts).

Band practice was essentially over after Axl stormed off, Izzy gave him 10 minutes to calm down before calling practice over and heading out after him. Slash shrugged at Duff, Axl said the rhythm was off, but Slash couldn’t hear it. Steven was sitting at his drum set shoulders slumped, curly mane of blond hair hiding his face. 

“You know you didn’t do anything wrong right?” Slash asked softly. 

Steven sniffed slightly, “Then why does it feel like it?” 

“Axl is just an ass, and he knows that Slash won’t take his shit so he made an underhanded jab at the both of us, the song wasn’t working but it wasn’t any one persons fault” Duff soothed, “come on, let's get out of here.”

“Oh...ok, where are we going?” Steven asked looking up at Duff with wet eyes. 

“We’re going to pick up a pizza and go back to the apartment and see if we can’t cheer you up, right Slash?” Duff supplied. 

“Sounds great to me, better than hanging around this dump” Slash agreed. 

The guys hit the local pizza joint for some takeout and went back to their small apartment, they had signed with the record company but hadn’t seen a ton of cash and were still living off the strip, in their tiny apartment. 

“Man I can’t wait til the money starts rolling in, get a big place and a nice car” Slash said between bites of pizza. 

“Oh, man one of those mcmansions? And a fast car, maybe a bike or two” Duff agreed.

“Uh, yea, that would be nice....” Steven trailed off, staring at the food, he wasn’t hungry but Duff would be upset if he didn’t eat. 

“Hey, what’s the matter dude?” Duff asked. 

Steven wasn’t sure what to say, “just I dunno I hate living alone, and living with you guys is as close as I’ve had to a family” he admitted. 

“Hey, maybe we could just see about splitting a larger place? What do ya say Slash?” Duff asked. 

“Dude, we could save up our money that way, at least for a while.” Slash agreed. 

“You guys don’t have to do that for me, I know you both have wanted your own place for a while, I’m sure I’ll be fine” Steven said, picking at his pizza. 

Duff and Slash exchanged a look, they had talked about how they were both interested in the blond drummer, but neither had taken any steps towards him out of respect to the other, but now they see that Steven needs the permanence of a sound relationship. But would he want them back, how would it work with 3 men, they weren’t sure but for Steven they would do anything. 

Duff slid closer to Steven, hooking his finger under Steven’s chin to draw his head up. Steven’s eyes were wide, searching Duff’s face for a reason. “I need to tell you something, and it doesn’t have to change anything, or it can change everything, I love you Steven, I have for a while, but I wasn’t sure if I was something you would want, but you have to know that I love you.” 

Steven’s mouth was hanging open, as he searched Duff’s face for a lie. But he didn’t find one, before Slash was sliding into his line of vision. “I also have something to tell you.... He admitted, I love you too.” 

“Ha ha funny guys” Steven responded sarcastically, realizing they must mean like brothers, not like a lover, god he was such an idiot. 

“We’re being serious,” Duff said, imploring Steven to understand. 

“I love you guys like brothers too” Steven said, hoping to make the conversation end. 

“That’s not, Slash help me... Thats not what we meant” sighed Duff. 

“Steven, we both like guys and girls, romantically.... Sexually....” Slash admitted. 

“Yea you guys are bi, so am I... what’s the big deal” Steven said, “That doesn’t have to change anything, I get it, we're like a dysfunctional family.”

“It’s because he’s blonde right.... Duff why aren’t you this dense...... No, well yes, but we are trying to ask you out, like as a boyfriend..... The three of us, its unconventional, but we think it would make us all happy.” Slash said exasperated that Steven didn’t understand. 

“I don’t think it’s cause he’s blonde Slash,” Duff chuckled, “but being positive isn’t any of our strong suits.” 

“You guys like me .... like me?” Steven was floored, never in his wildest dreams could he hope that maybe one of them would be in love with him, let alone both, “I love you guys like that too, and would like to be boyfriends.”

Slash and Duff smiled and drug Steven over to the couch with them to snuggle while they watched some TV. “We’ve got your back with Axl, he’s gonna have to stop being a bully” Slash said. “Seriously dude, you don’t deserve half the shit he gives you and it’s got to stop, and he has to stop bullying the whole band” Duff grumbled. 

*********

The next day before band practice, Slash and Duff called a band meeting. Izzy was sitting in the corner pretty certain the band was about to implode, Axl was pacing like a caged tiger, and Steven looked like someone killed his puppy. 

“Ok guys, this band is not going to last with the dynamic we currently have” Slash said, purposefully not pointing out whose fault it was. 

“Well if everyone worked to the best of their ability it would be fine” Axl snarked. 

“That’s what we’re talking about, everyone is working hard, some of the songs aren’t working, we need to come together to fix the issues or its going to tear us apart, and I think Guns n’ Roses has a lot more to offer the music scene then one half finished record” Duff growled. 

“Well what do you think about all this Izzy?” Axl sneered. 

“Honestly, Axl, Slash and Duff are right, you’ve been an absolute dick to Duff and Steven, for no reason, other then your pissed and they’ll let you walk all over them” Izzy stood his ground. 

Axl stormed off, and instead of ending the practice, Izzy, Duff, Slash and Steven worked out what was off on the song that started the whole issue. A bit of teamwork and some creative thinking and they worked it out, they were all rushing it, when everyone backed off and played it at the tempo, Steven had initially jotted down, wouldn’t you know it worked. 

******

Izzy went to see if Axl was still in the building and found him out back chain smoking, “so we fixed it....” 

“What....” Axl grumbled blowing smoke at Izzy. 

“The song, its fixed, 20 minutes a bit of teamwork and guess what, it sounds great now.... So are you gonna come be a part of this band or are you gonna sit down here and moap like a petty tyrant?” Izzy said, he was done with Axl’s shit, and just wanted everyone to get along. 

“Yea let’s hear how you fixed it.” Axl stubbed out his cigarette and followed Izzy back to the room. 

Once there Izzy had them play the song the way it had been corrected, and Axl was impressed. “What did you guys do? It sounds great” he admitted. 

“Steven why don’t you tell him” Slash urged. 

“Uh, after a couple play throughs we figured out we were rushing the tempo, all of us were, and we were spurring each other to play faster, I found the original sheet I had written the beat on, and found the original tempo... we realized we really have to listen to each other, this is a team, once we did that, it came right together.” Steven explained. 

“Huh.....” Axl answered and that was that, he wasn’t the type to apologize, but the band came together better, and there were fewer snide comments. Slash and Duff considered that a win and they got to go home and cuddle their drummer and be happy.


End file.
